One Year, Six Months
by Authoress Tams
Summary: One-shot songficcie. Amelia takes a little time off from work to enjoy the snow...and to think of a certain someone. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! - OLD -


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(AN: I don't own Slayers or the song used here, by Yellowcard. Brackets – _song lyrics._ **)**

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**One Year, Six Months**

Snow.

Amelia stared wistfully out her window. This was the aftermath of last night's unexpected blizzard. It came down steadily, gently, silently. That was what she loved about it; it was so quiet. Mesmerizing.

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Snow.

That was the last thing she'd expected. Then again, she hadn't expected anything but an entire day's workload. Which was exactly what she got. More papers. More things to sign. 

She looked up again from her desk and gazed at the swirling white. 

White ground. 

White trees. 

White, swirling flakes, mingling with the white stars of the almost-night sky.

Everything…_white_. 

Her eyes began to move in and out of focus as she went into a dreamy trance.

Then she shook her head. "No, no…concentrate!" She grabbed her head with both hands and forced herself to bore her eyes into the paper in front of her as she began to read.

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To the Royal Family of Seyruun:

The northwest sector of the city will be requiring another shipment of supplies for the market. This will greatly boost the economy. No surplus is needed until the fifteenth of December…

Her vision sneaked up to the window again. 

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Focus…foooooccccuuuussss…that suggestion would have been easier, had her imagination been tamer. 

And maybe if the curtains were drawn.

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Of course, that would shut out some of the light, she thought as an excuse, sighing and busying herself with signing the document in a flourishing signature. Supplies were important to the people of her city. Definitely.

But…

Her eyes sparkled.

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Snow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moments later, Amelia was standing on the back balcony of the palace. She stuck out her tongue, feeling the light, cool feeling of snowflakes against her mouth. She laughed aloud and hugged the woolen scarf and thick cloak against her body for warmth. Her feet were slightly chilly, nestled in the indent they'd crunched into the snow, but that didn't matter.

Her eyes opened momentarily. It would be too soon that someone would be sent to find her, for she was no longer hunching over her desk in the library. She heaved a sigh and blinked as snowflakes landed on her open eyes looking out at the sky. She could sacrifice a few moments to see the first snow of the season if she wanted to, couldn't she? There was no law that forbade her from a minute or two of rest. 

Of course not.

She walked forward, her feet pressing down the growing level of snow beneath her, and stopped on the stone walkway circling a number of marble statues, which were now frosted with snow. How beautiful it was. Amelia's brilliant blue eyes were still taking in the alluring sky. 

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I wonder what Lina-san and Gourry-san are doing in this weather, she thought. The thought of her friends gave her both a warm smile and a dart of loneliness in her chest. Lina and Gourry had been gone only a few weeks. They were loyal, indeed—they came to visit her as often as possible without disrupting their route. According to Lina, there was plenty of time to find a good enough sword for Gourry, but it was the 'where?' that was the problem, which kept them on the road, besides the need for adventure. Of course, Lina had been kind enough to add, there was always a moment to spare for visiting the princess. That made Amelia smile.

[ _Sew this up with threads of reason and regret_ ]

Visits from the two of them were always greatly anticipated by Amelia, but their absence thereafter always made her long for such companionship even more. She was sorely tempted to send them a letter every day, if she could. Of course, Amelia thought with a sly grin, why interrupt the sorceress and swordsman in their precious time alone?

[ _So I will not forget _]

[ _I will not forget_ ]

Of course, they were too terrified to admit how they felt about each other. Too terrified of too many things; rejection, pain, change. Amelia shook her head disdainfully—it would take Lina more than the four and a half years they'd known each other to admit that she needed the dopey swordsman who spent every winking minute at her side. She was too proud to cave in, but too scared to gather up the confidence.

[ _How this felt one year, six months ago, I know _]

And Gourry…well…Amelia screwed her face up in an effort to think of the reason. Gourry was, perhaps, too scared of Lina to take any action. Or he was just waiting for her. Or maybe he just hadn't realized it yet. Amelia shrugged to herself. However simple Gourry's thoughts were, his actions were much more complex at times—a completely different story.

[ _I cannot forget _]

[ _I cannot forget _]

Amelia stared disconsolately at the sky again. They must have been having the time of the their lives, out on their own, enjoying the road, watching the snow right now, at the same moment she was, wrapped in the warmth of some inn, chatting away. If they were still awake, anyway. 

[ _I'm falling into memories of you _]

[ _And things we used to do _]

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of enviousness in the pit of her stomach. How she was longing to be with them again. However dangerous they were, especially in sight of a buffet line, they were good to be around. There was never a dull moment in their company. She'd even give to see them scarfing down five dinners right now. 

[ _Follow me there _]

[ _A beautiful somewhere _]

Amelia could hear Zelgadis' reaction to her want of the two's companionship now… "_You'd prefer their table manners over peace and quiet?_" He never missed an opportunity to criticize. The thought made her giggle. 

[ _A place that I can share with you _]

Amelia began to ball a spot of snow into a lump in her gloved hands. Zelgadis…it'd been a year and a half since he'd last come to see her. "_I won't forget about you,_" he'd said quietly, fingering the bracelet she'd given him a while before. "_I'll come back to see you._"

[ _I can tell that you don't know me anymore _]

That was a year and a half ago.

[ _It's easy to forget _]

[ _Sometimes we just forget _]

Letting the lump disintegrate through her fingers, Amelia conjured up the image of the stone-faced chimera. A depressed, cold, forlorn monster, but only to the eyes of the unknowing. The real picture in her mind was a warm-hearted, intelligent, humorous person with a handsome face that he neglected owing to his own perception.

She cared for him. She cared about the multiple counts on which he'd saved her life. The many times they shared together. How much she wanted to help him, to make him know that he wasn't as horrible as he made himself out to be. She knew he was human, despite the countless occasions on which he corrected her; _"one-third_ _human, Amelia."_

[ _And being on this road is anything but sure _]

She knew how unjust it was, to both himself and others, how often he left for that cure of his. She was frustrated at his constant self-pity, his unannounced absences, his refusal to accept himself. But mostly, she was frustrated at how much he left her and made her miss him so much. 

[ _Maybe we'll forget _]

[ _I hope we don't forget _]

Did he know how much he hurt her every time he told her he had to leave? Did he know how deeply it cut her to see him walk away from her? Turning from her hopeful face and turning from her every attempt to convince him to stay as he was?

[ _I'm falling into memories of you _]

[ _And things we used to do _]

She was suspicious, ever so slightly, that he was running from her. But he always acted like he didn't know about her caring for him. Did he _not know_? It had been so long since he'd been with her…had he forgotten her?

[ _Follow me there _]

[_ A beautiful somewhere _]

Oh, how _badly_ she wanted to just scream at him how much she missed him, how much she knew about him that he would not accept, himself. How much she cared.

[ _A place that I can share with you _]

How much she…loved him. It was not a stupid little girl's crush. She wanted him to know that.

[ _So many nights, legs tangled tight _]

[ _Wrap me up in a dream with you _]

If he were here now, she would not hesitate to just throw her arms around him and kiss him. She often dreamed about what it would be like. …Okay, maybe she would hesitate, but she would definitely ponder the consequences and matters before she tried it. All she wanted was to see him again. To let him know everything she thought about him.

[ _Close up these eyes, try not to cry _]

[ _All I've got to pull me through is memories of you _]

The remainder of the snow had melted in her gloved palms before she realized how long she'd been outside. Her nose and cheeks were rosy from the bite of the chilly night…night? It was night already? She mentally reprimanded herself for lingering in the cold to daydream about him.

[ _Memories of you _]

Then again, what else had she been doing lately? She was not just lonely for friends. She was lonely for him. Especially him.

[ _Memories of you _]

With one last melancholy look at the breathtaking night, she turned and dragged herself back up to the doorway, her feet crunching into the newly dusted snow. 

[ _Memories of you _]

[ _I'm falling into memories of you _]

[_ And things we used to do _]

Once she was seated in the library again, welcoming the bright, roaring fire at her side with a cup of tea to accompany it. Cupping her hands around the mug with pink, chilled hands, she inhaled the sweet aroma and sipped quietly as the pile of documents sat innocently on the desk. _Maybe he'll remember his promise tonight, _she thought, feeling very happy at that thought and at the warm, bubbly feeling spreading down her throat and stomach. _Like I did._

[ _Follow me there _]

[ _A beautiful somewhere _]

It was possible. With how often she thought of him, why shouldn't he think of her the one night she'd remembered everything about him? Yes, he was stubborn and cold. But he had a good heart underneath everything he tried to hide with. That was good for something.

[ _A place that we can share…_]

Amelia smiled widely and gazed out the window with a less downhearted look than before. It was absolutely possible.

[ _I'm falling into memories of you _]

It was beautiful, really. 

Snow.

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Outside, the snow was still falling as gently as it had before. There was a new pattern of footsteps leading up to the palace doors. The footsteps were bigger than the set left behind from Amelia.

The cloaked figure stared for more than a few minutes at the window from which Amelia could just barely be seen. Without a word, Zelgadis Greywords began his slow but steady trek up the stairway, and soon disappeared into the palace.

[ _The things we used to do_…]

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End.


End file.
